Blue Sky
by fairies and gods
Summary: Gray and Juvia have been spending a lot of "time together", but when Gajeel has an ominous dream about the Element 4 and their hope to return to power, it all falls apart at once. What will Gray do when Juvia gets hurt in this mess, and what will it cost him?
1. Introduction

**Hey, everyone. I thought I would give you all a little background before this one.**

"Blue Sky" is part of a short series I'm creating of Fairy Tail fictions. There will likely be three, and they will all connect in the last one. It isn't necessary to read them in any order, but there is one ("Comets and Keys", "Blue Sky", and the final one with an undecided title). I don't expect you all to read all of them, but I hope you all will ^^ It will help me and add to the story for all of you to have all of them together.

The first chapter of this one will be up in no time. Thank you guys so much for reading this and for your patience.

-**J**


	2. Chapter 1

_The muffled sound of laughter and voices that he knew too well. _

_"Oh, to have my Four back again is such a glorious thing," said the deep voice. _

No, no_, Gajeel thought._

_"Now, we're only missing one," the voice continued. "And, if it can be managed, our Iron Dragon Slayer."_

No.

_"But first, the little maid of water."_

_Gajeel suddenly saw the outlines of those people he'd once fought with. Element 4. They were missing one, of course, Juvia Lockser. She was different now though. Completely changed. Like he was._

_The mocking chuckle rose again and Gajeel saw images he had been trying to forget for so long. The tree where Levy hung limp and beaten next to her friends. The things he'd done. The destroyed hall of Phantom Lord and Gajeel sitting among the rubble when Makarov came to bring him to his new home, because Juvia had been so worried. _

_Juvia. They were going after her. They were coming after him. Jose had never had limits. He would hurt anyone in the way. _

_Levy._

"Gajeel? Gajeel!"

"Ahhh!"

His own yell echoed back at him from the wall of the room he sat in. Where was he? The walls were dim in front of him but he could make out the many rows of books on the shelves that lined the walls. The papers scattered on the desk in the corner. The lamp that had been turned on beside the bed. The blue hair messy from sleep. The worried brown eyes on his.

"Gajeel?" She said gently. "Calm down. Are you alright? What's wrong?"

He let his rapid breathing slow and nodded. "I'm okay... Just a bad dream."

She nodded, putting a hand on his cheek. "Talk to me."

Panther Lily, who'd woken up to the yelling, took advantage of everyone shifting to get comfortable and curled up against Levy's leg.

Gajeel leaned his back on the headboard and looked at his hands curled in his lap.

"It was about Phantom Lord," he decided to tell her. "I just haven't thought of them for so long and then they were there talking about getting the team back together and..."

When Levy was sure he was done, she gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, she looked into his eyes and said with the utmost confidence, "That isn't you anymore."

Gajeel gave her a soft smile back. He knew she had forgiven him for what he had done with Phantom Lord, but when it came up, he always felt horrible for what he'd done to this girl that was now most of his world. He didn't think he'd ever really forget.

"Just, try to relax. It was just a dream, right? No one's heard from them in years," she explained.

Gajeel nodded. _Yeah. A dream. _

"Come on. Let's go grab a snack and go back to sleep," she said, sliding out of bed and slipping on a pair of slippers.

He smiled and followed her, Panther Lily jogging to keep up.

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><p><strong>What could Gajeel's dream mean? What's going to happen to him and Juvia?<strong>

**Stay tuned for more :o**

**-J**


	3. Chapter 2

"Gray-sama could always just stay with Juvia all day," Juvia said, her cheek on Gray's chest and bare legs tangled around his.

Gray closed his eyes for a minute and shook his head. "I can't Juvia. I've gotta get to the hall. I told... Uh... Loke we would go on a job today."

Juvia pouted, looking up at him with her deep blue eyes. "Oh..."

Gray gave her a soft smile and hugged her close for a minute. "I'll come back later. We can do a little more of... This." He trailed his finger down her hip.

She blushed and nodded, pushing a soft kiss to his lips.

Gray slipped out of the bed and tugged on his clothes. He walked to the door with Juvia trailing behind.

"I love you," she said with a soft smile at the door.

Gray smiled, putting a hand on her cheek before he walked away.

Juvia, in a light robe, watched him walk away and sighed. "Juvia. You didn't tell him."

She put a hand over her stomach and shook her head. "Tomorrow. Juvia will tell him tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was short, so the next one should be up sometime tonight. Bear with me ^^<strong>

**-J**


	4. Chapter 3

The Guild Hall was in its usual loud state with everyone sitting around and chatting. In the center of the hall, Natsu sat at a table with his arms around Lucy and Gajeel sat across from them, Levy leaning against his arm while she read. Levy suddenly looked up from her book and ran her eyes around the Hall.

"Does anyone know where Juvia is?" She asked.

Lucy frowned. "Hm...no, actually."

Natsu looked around and grinned. "Well, Gray isn't here either so I have a pretty good idea where they are and what they're doing."

Lucy looked up at him and shook her head.

"I'm just saying, the way they act, they're probably at her place right now recklessly hav-"

"Natsu!"

Gajeel sighed. "We don't wanna talk about that, Salamander."

He shrugged.

It was quiet for minute between them.

Then Gray walked up to them.

"Do you guys know where Juvia is?" He asked, tugging off his shirt.

They all shook their heads.

"She's not with you? " Natsu asked with a smirk.

Gray shrugged. "No. I saw her way earlier today but not since then... She never came here?"

Lucy shook her head. "We just thought she was with you."

Gray shook his head.

Gajeel suddenly got up, fear on his face and he turned to Levy. "Levy, my dream."

She stood up and they ran out the door. Gray and the others followed with confused expressions. Gajeel ran the entire time, eyes set forward, hoping he was wrong. It was not until they heard screaming coming from the upstairs apartment where Juvia lived that they understood and Gajeel grew tense.

Gray's eyes grew wide. "Juvia!" He was up the stairs before anyone could stop him.

There was chuckling mixed in with Juvia's screams. Gray felt anger rise into his chest as he kicked in her door.

"No! Stop!" Juvia yelled. There was a sound like a sizzle and she continued to scream.

Gray heard the laughter stop as soon as the door fell off of its hinges. There was the sound of scrambling and then only Juvia's voice.

"Gray!" She yelled from her room.

He ran into the room, flinching when he saw her.

She was beaten and bruised and curled into a ball on her sheets. The corner of her lip bled and she held her hands over her leg. The room smelled like fire and something bitter. Gray ran to her side scooping her up in his arms.

The others had made it up the stairs and came to help him. Gray hugged her close to his chest.

"Juvia? Juvia, answer me."

Her head lolled to one side and he felt tears well in his eyes. "Juvia, please..." Not a sound more than her soft breathing.

Gajeel stood next to him and closed his eyes tight, his jaw clenching. "Gray...her leg."

Gray looked at her leg. The spot where her blue Fairy Tail mark had been was burned so badly that it was black in some spots. The heat could be felt from some distance away and there was a new mark over her old one. The mark they had forgotten about. Phantom Lord.

Gray's eyes narrowed as he ran down the stairs and toward the Hall with Juvia close to his chest. He let a layer of ice form over her burn as they ran. He could hear the others behind him, but he felt like only he and Juvia were there in that moment.

Gray felt so much hate and anger in his chest that he knew what he had to do in that moment.

He would find Phantom Lord and make sure he never saw that insignia ever again.

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><p><strong>Poor Juvia. Jose is much a sick puppy. Well, we'll see how Gray gets back at him for this one.<strong>

**Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave reviews and favorite \follow. **

**-J**


	5. Chapter 4

It was hours that the Guild Hall was completely silent. Everyone had seen Gray run in with Juvia and many had helped Wendy and Mirajane try to clean her up and heal her as quickly as possible. Eventually, she was put in a room and everyone was shoved out. No one dared to talk right now.

Lucy sat curled up with Natsu. She'd fallen asleep a while ago. Levy was pacing in front of Gajeel who sat glaring at his hands and occasionally ran a hand through his hair.

Gray sat alone, his back against the wall right next to the room Juvia had been put. He hadn't moved but to shift his legs or move his hands from his sides to his face. Now, he sat quietly, his arms crossed on his knees and head rested on top of them. His messy hair fell over his face and no one tried to talk to him. He had cried a bit, but everyone knew if there was anything he was, it was pissed. He had been talking about going after Phantom Lord and that he didn't want anyone to help. No one had managed to change his mind.

Suddenly, the door slid open and everyone looked at it. Mira stepped out and kneeled in front of Gray. His shoulders shook slightly but he didn't look up.

"Gray, she's alive." Mira said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She's very weak and horribly injured, but she is alive."

He picked up his head and his eyes were red and puffy. "Can I go in? I just wanna talk to her..."

Mira nodded. "She isn't awake, but of course you can, Gray."

He stood slowly, not looking at anyone but the door. His steps were deliberate and his lips were tight together.

It was quiet in the room and Juvia laid peacefully under the white sheets of the infirmary. Her face was a bit puffy on one side and around one of her eyes was purple. One of her arms was bandaged and Gray didn't even want to see her leg.

Gray sighed, walking to sit next to her, slipping his fingers in hers. His eyes stung and he laid his head down on her side.

"Juvia... I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have left. I could have stayed. I'm sorry. I just don't want to... Every time I've ever loved someone, they get hurt or they're gone and ... I can't deal with that anymore." He picked up his head and let the warm tears roll over his cheeks. "But I do care, Juvia. I really do..."

She laid very quietly and Gray looked at her bruised face and clenched his jaw.

"Juvia, I'm gonna go find them. I won't let them just get away with this. You aren't one of them anymore and I won't let them just do this to you." He stood, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "I'll make sure Jose never shows up again. It might take a while, but I'll come back. I will."

He tugged up his collar and let go of her hand.

He was out the door and walking down the street before the door even closed behind him.

He was just at the edge of the street when strong hands grabbed his and threw him against a wall.

"What the hell are you doing, Gray?" Gajeel said through clenched teeth. Levy was behind him, but didn't try to stop him. She knew better.

"I'm gonna go find Jose," Gray responded, "And I'm gonna end him."

Gajeel held his shoulders to the wall. "You can't just leave. I knew them, Gray. They were strong and you can't handle them alone."

"Watch me." He shook Gajeel off of him. "They don't know what I'm like when I'm mad."

Gajeel shook his head. "Don't be stupid. They'll kill you. Jose doesn't have boundaries, if you didn't figure that out from the brand on Juvia's leg."

Gray glared at him. "Back off."

"Gray, what about Juvia?" Gajeel threw back."They don't think she'll wake up. She could die and you won't even be here."

He turned away from his and began to walk down an alley.

Gajeel grabbed him and Gray shot a bar off ice into his stomach. Gajeel stumbled back and went to take a swing in response. Then, he saw the tears in his eyes and his clenched fists.

"Don't! You don't understand. I have to go." He yelled. "They could have killed her and I wasn't there. I didn't save her. I'm not losing someone I care about again and just letting it happen. I'm gonna stand up for her."

"Gray, you know how much it would hurt her if you weren't here," Levy said with tears in her eyes.

"I can't be here when she dies!" He shot back, a sob breaking his words. "I can't..."

Gajeel shook his head. "Just think first, Ice head."

Gray responded without a second thought. "I have." He was quiet for a minute before he said simply. "I never stood up for her in front of other people. Now, I will. I'll make it up to her if it kills me."

It was quiet for a minute and the two guys just stared at each other with Levy curiously watching on. Suddenly, Gajeel let himself relax and stood straight, his arms crossing.

"Fine, Gray," he said. "Just.. Make sure you come back, idiot."

Gray nodded. "I promised I'd come see her when I was done with my job, and I will."

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><p><strong>And so begins Gray's journey. Sorry, guys, but he's got some work to do. We won't see him for a little while.<strong>

**Now, it's just gonna be Juvia's story for a little while. **

**Stay tuned for more ^^**

**Remember to follow, favorite, and review.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-J**


	6. Chapter 5

Time went by in slow seasons. Winter came and went and spring began to poke its way through the cold air with little buds of flowers and warmer breezes. Juvia hadn't woken up yet, but everyone came to know her secret. The only who didn't know was the boy who was still gone, Gray.

Levy sat next to the bed, fast asleep with her head on her arms. Gajeel had gone off to find them food, so she had volunteered to stay and watch Juvia. She was often worried knowing that no one had expected Juvia to even live, but with the knowledge of Juvia's little secret, everyone had begun to hope even more that she would.

Suddenly, Juvia's fingers curled on the sheets.

Levy instantly woke up and looked at Juvia's hand. She glanced up at the mage's face and smiled hopefully. "Juvia?"

The water mage didn't move for a moment, then her eyelids fluttered.

Juvia stood and instantly turned to the door. "Wendy! Mira!"

The women came in just as Juvia's eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the light of the sun through the window.

"Juvia?" Wendy said gently. "Can you hear us?"

Juvia's eyes turned toward her and she nodded very slowly.

"Now, Juvia, try to relax. You have been asleep for very long time and we don't want you to stress. We're going to explain everything as soon as you can sit up," Wendy explained, her hand on Juvia's.

Juvia nodded a little more strongly this time and took a slow breath. The air came in cold and she coughed lightly. How long had she been asleep? Her body hurt and she suddenly remembered the group of hands on her and the sting of hot metal on her leg. Her hand instantly moved to shield her stomach and her eyes grew wide.

"Juvia, relax," Levy said from the end of the bed.

Juvia fought the rapid breaths that came to her and finally forced her dry throat to produce just a little sound.

"What... Happened...?" She said, her voice brittle from the lack of use.

Wendy sat next to her, putting her hands around Juvia's.

"Juvia, do you remember what happened with Phantom Lord?" She asked gently.

Juvia nodded.

"Well, they hurt you very badly and you have been in a comatose state for quite some time. It's been six months to be exact," she explained. "We were very worried for you and ... the baby."

Juvia looked at her and tears welled in her eyes. "Six months...?"

Wendy nodded. "But, you're both fine. You're just both very weak. It's a very good thing you're awake now. You can both eat properly and it will help you heal and the baby to grow you feeling okay to sit up?"

Juvia nodded and the girls helped her lean her back against the pillows. She brushed her hair from her face and wrapped her arms around her rather round belly. Suddenly, she realized she hasn't asked for the person she'd been thinking of for all the time she slept.

"Where's Gray-sama?" She asked.

The girls cast uneasy looks at each other and Levy decided she would be the one to explain. Juvia looked at her and Levy tried to choose her words carefully, but Juvia saved her from that stuttering explanation.

"Did he go after Phantom?"

Levy looked at her for a moment and nodded. "He said he'd come back as soon as he stopped them from ever showing up again, but he hasn't come back yet."

Juvia nodded, a sad smile on her lips. "That sounds like Gray-sama."

Levy gave her a reassuring smile and put a hand over hers.

"Gray-sama will be back soon," Juvia said to herself more than anyone, running her free hand over her stomach. "Juvia will have a lot to explain."

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><p><strong>There's Juvia's secret. What will she do without Gray? Where is Gray? When will he come back?<strong>

**We'll all find out in the next chapters ^^**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**-J**


	7. Chapter 6

The days passed and Juvia began to get out of bed and walk around. She waited loyally for Gray to return, but the months passed without so much as a letter. She often sat staring out the Hall door and didn't talk much, but Levy and Gajeel made sure she didn't spend all day that way.

It seemed like no time before she was back in the infirmary, but this time with tired limbs and a little blue-blanketed bundle held close to her chest.

The baby had been fine after all, even a little big. He was a chubby little boy with round cheeks and tufts of black hair. His eyes, they later found, were the only thing that he'd gotten from his mother. The little one looked just like Gray, and Juvia couldn't have been happier to finally have him close.

"Juvia, you're gonna smother the kid," Gajeel said from his spot leaning up against the wall.

"Well, Storm is Mommy's little drop of sun and she will love Storm senseless," she said, eyes on the sleeping infant and fingers running over his tiny fingers.

Gajeel sighed. "The kid's gonna be freakin' traumatized with nicknames like that. He's a man, for God's sake."

Levy pouted towards Gajeel and shook her head. "No, Gajeel. He's just a little baby and he's so cute!"

Juvia smiled, looking up at Levy. "Did you wanna hold Storm, Levy-san?"

She smiled, nodding excitedly. She carefully took him in her arms and smiled down at the little bundle. The little boy was a heavy sleeper, but Levy worried she'd wake him if she moved too fast. She pressed a kiss to his little forehead and smiled, turning to look at Gajeel.

"Gajeel, isn't he adorable? I might just want one of these soon," she said, turning back to look at the boy.

Gajeel raised his eyebrows. "Whoa. Whoa. I don't know, bookworm. Those little things are a handful and don't you have enough just being a god-mom for now?"

Levy sighed. "I guess..."

Juvia giggled, shaking her head. "Gajeel-kun, babies are ... Fun."

"Fun. Yeah, fun." Gajeel mumbled, looking at his shoes.

"Juvia, I meant to ask. Why did you name him Storm?" Levy asked, fixing the blanket around the baby's little arms.

Juvia smiled shyly. "Juvia thought about Juvia's water and Gray-sama's ice and then Juvia thought of what the word storm meant to Juvia. It's always calm before a storm, you know, happy? Then after the storm, it's calm too. Juvia thought that Storm was like that. Juvia was happy with Gray-sama before Storm came along, and now, Juvia's doesn't have to miss Gray-sama all day, because Juvia has little Storm."

Levy smiled. "That's... Really sweet, Juvia."

She smiled back, then a yawn had her quiet for a moment.

Levy looked at her and stood, holding the baby close. "Well, you two should get some sleep."

Juvia nodded. "Juvia would love sleep."

Levy carefully put the baby into the little plastic crib beside Juvia's hospital bed and made sure he was covered with the blankets before moving to give Juvia a close hug. "Just call us if you need us, okay, Ju-chan?"

Juvia nodded with a smile. "Thank you both."

Gajeel gave her a quick hug and looked at the baby for a minute. "Juvia, try not to think about the whole thing for now. He needs you more than you need to worry."

Juvia nodded, looking at the sleeping baby. "Juvia knows, Gajeel-kun. Juvia does not need to worry for Gray-sama anyway."

Gajeel gave her an uneasy smile and left with Levy.

Juvia moved to lay on her side so she could watch her baby's little chest fall and rise with every breath. She gave him a gentle smile and closed her eyes. "Gray-sama will be back soon, Storm."

* * *

><p><strong>Gray's still missing, but life goes on. It looks like Juvia will have to find some way to handle it all without him for now. <strong>

**Stay tuned for more ^^**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review and most of all, thank you for reading!**

**-J**


	8. Chapter 7

It was four months before anyone could convince Juvia to go on any job, and even then she was worried out of her mind.

"Juvia, we'll watch him for you. Chill," Gajeel said with a roll of the eyes. He'd said the same thing probably ten times in the last hour as Juvia had written down everything they had to know about the sleeping infant.

"Juvia just worries about Juvia's little Storm. Storm hasn't been without Juvia since Storm was born," she said for also probably the tenth time in the last hour.

"We know," Gajeel mumbled.

Levy walked in beside him holding a pacifier. "Is this the one?"

Juvia nodded. "Storm won't take any of the others."

Levy gave her a smile. "Got it."

Gajeel shook his head. "Geez. He'll be fine. All he really does is sleep and eat."

Juvia sighed and Levy shook her head.

"What?" Gajeel asked.

The next morning, Juvia was back from the easy job early enough to watch the sunrise. She walked quickly home and unlocked the door to her apartment. Gajeel and Levy had decided to stay there with Storm for the night. When she opened the door she raised her eyebrows and gave a slight smile.

Levy was asleep on the couch, the little boy in his blue onesie sleep on her chest, his little cheek over his tiny hand. Levy's hair was a mess and she had a blanket on her shoulder and a bottle in one hand.

Gajeel was asleep too, but with his back on the couch where Levy slept. He had a stuffed animal under his head and baby powder smeared on his cheek.

Juvia saw toys scattered around the living room and maneuvered around them to pat Gajeel on his cheek. He woke with a start and sighed something between relief and a yawn at seeing Juvia.

"Was Storm too much trouble, Gajeel-kun?" She asked.

He looked at her with tired eyes. "The kid... I think he missed you."

Juvia giggled. "Juvia hopes so. Juvia didn't think he'd keep you awake though."

He rubbed his eyes, standing up. "Nah, he'd just wake up and hang with us and then want to sleep, but like... Not with us, I guess."

Juvia smiled, going to Levy who was now waking up. Levy looked at her with tired eyes but gave her a little smile.

"Don't worry, Juvia. We enjoyed watching him," she reassured.

Juvia smiled. "Okay, good. Juvia worried that Levy-san would never want to babysit again."

They all looked at each other and a wave passed between the three of them. Little Storm, however, slept away as his mother and her two friends up him into his crib, walked to their own rooms, and went to sleep.

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><p><strong>I know this chapter is short, guys, but here is a fair warning. The next few chapters will be pretty short (since they're just to show the passing of time with just Juvia and little Storm), but they will be posted every day is possible. I'm already working on the next one, so it should be up tomorrow (if not tonight). I hope you guys can be just a little patient with me.<strong>

**Remember to follow, favorite, and review.**

**And thank you all for reading ^^**

**-J**


	9. Chapter 8

Time passed steadily on and Storm grew fast, his hair growing messier and his blue eyes brighter. He began to sit up quickly and loved to sit in the Hall and watch all the nonsense that happened in his guild every day.

On another day, just a year after Gray had ran Juvia to an infirmary and left on his "job", Juvia sat in the Hall with Storm sitting in front of her on the table, his little eyes scanning the room as he watched the others.

" What're you looking at, Storm?" She asked with a smile, her hands holding Storm's little hands.

He looked at her for a minute and then back to the table a bit away where Romeo was playing with purple fire.

Juvia smiled at her little boy. "Do you like magic, Storm?"

He giggled, putting his hands on her cheeks.

She scooted him back a little bit on the table and held her hand between them. "Here, look." A little drop of water sprung from her palm and hovered in front of the infant's forehead. He reached for it and it split into two drops, then three. The tiny boy giggled, trying to catch one drop after another.

"Don't teach him that lame magic. See if he wants to learn some Dragon Slayer stuff," said Gajeel's voice behind her. She turned to see him and Levy walking up her to her table. They sat down across from Storm and Juvia shook her head.

"He isn't a Dragon Slayer, Gajeel-kun," she said. Gajeel didn't want kids anytime soon, but he was dying to teach a kid his magic.

"You wanna be?" He asked the little boy, putting his hands out to him.

Storm gave an excited giggle and put his arms out to Gajeel to be picked up.

Gajeel smirked. "See?"

"Juvia thinks Storm is beginning to show some ice magic," she said, pointing at on the drops of water that hovered in front her. It had frozen in the little sphere and didn't move when she dispelled the others.

"That's great, Ju-chan!" Levy said with a smile, fixing the little boy's hair.

They sat watching the baby laugh at Levy making Solid Script things from cups to balls until Juvia grew tense across from them.

"What's wro-?" Gajeel stopped himself when he heard exactly what she'd been hearing.

A couple of tables away, Evergreen sat with Elfman and the Rajinshuu, but their conversation could be heard from where they sat.

"It's just sort of weird that Gray isn't back," Laxus said calmly, arms on the table.

"Gray is a man. He should've been back already," Elfman agreed.

"And with Juvia alone with Storm... It just seems unlike him," Freed added.

Evergreen, ever the bluntest of them, shrugged her shoulders. "The guy was tough. The only reason I could think he'd be gone this long is if he was dead."

Everyone got quiet then, even groups at other tables. Everyone had heard her say it, and many agreed. Gajeel had stood, passing the baby to Levy with his jaw set and eyebrows close together. Juvia was the one to grab his arm and give him a sad smile.

"Juvia can handle herself," she said gently as he moved to sit down again next to Levy.

"Juvia does not believe Gray-sama is dead and she never will," she said to Gajeel in a sure and not whispering tone. "Gray-sama promised he would come back after his job and he is strong and Juvia believes Gray-sama will come back."

Gajeel looked at the table and Levy looked at the baby's little feet, unable to say what most of the guild had come to believe.

Juvia was the one to admit what everyone knew. "Juvia knows that the rest of Fairy Tail thinks he is gone, but Gray-sama is strong and he would not lose to a group like Element 4."

She had tried not to worry. She had tried to concentrate on her little boy, but some nights were harder than others. Most of all, she had tried to ignore the nagging possibility that it would always be just her and little Storm. She didn't believe it and she wouldn't.

Juvia felt hot tears in her eyes and sighed, letting her bangs fall over the eye she could manage to cover.

Little Storm knew her better than that. The little boy looked at his mom curiously and leaned to put his hand on her head.

Juvia looked up curiously and smiled to see her baby putting his arms out for her. She moved him to sit in front of her again on the table and smiled, fixing his little blue shirt. The little boy giggled and played with the blue hair falling at her shoulders.

Juvia looked up at Gajeel and Levy and smiled. "Besides, if not for Juvia, Gray-sama'll come back for Storm. I may not have ever had the chance to tell Gray-sama that he was going to be a daddy, but Juvia has a feeling he wouldn't want to miss this," she said, putting her forehead on Storm's so their blue eyes locked.

Levy gave a sincere smile and leaned on Gajeel's shoulder. "I hope so," she said.

Juvia smiled widely. "Juvia knows so."

* * *

><p><strong>See? Just like I promised, the chapters will come pretty fast now ^^ Thank you all for waiting for me a bit. <strong>

**Follow, Favorite, and Review**

**Most of all, thanks for reading ^^**

**-J**


	10. Chapter 9

It was a loud and happy day at Fairy Tail. The weather outside was pretty and the Hall was filled with balloons and laughter. It was Storm Fullbuster's first birthday and everyone was joining in on the party.

The little birthday boy looked delighted in his best clothes with facepaint done by Reedus on both cheeks. His smile was wide and excited the entire day and he had never looked more excited than when he sat among his pile of presents and tore into the gifts one after another.

When the night was coming to a close, he even got excited enough to take his first steps walking towards where his mother held a tiny version of his birthday cake for just him to eat. Juvia was having a fantastic day too, but, when the baby was having fun with the Dragon Slayers of the guild in a weird game of catch, she took a minute to walk outside and stare at the moon to think of the only person missing that night.

"It's exhausting, isn't it?" A smooth voice from the other side of the doorway was asking Juvia. She turned to see Cana standing with a bottle in one hand, eyes on the end of the stone path. "Waiting for someone to come back, I mean. You just watch the moon and flip the pages of the calendar, but time goes real slow."

Juvia nodded slowly, her eyes on Cana now.

"I'm sorry," she said, taking a swig from the bottle. "I didn't mean to just ramble off like that."

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia appreciates a little conversation."

Cana gave her a little smile. "I just thought I knew what you'd be thinking about. I've made that face, stood against the doorway enough times."

"Juvia just noticed it's been more than a year is all," she mumbled.

Cana nodded. "But you think he'll come back, don't you?"

Juvia smiled. "Juvia has no doubt."

Cana nodded. "Then what's to worry about?"

Juvia laughed lightly, nodding toward where Storm laughed over the wrestling Iron and Fire Dragon Slayers. "Juvia's not exactly sure how to... How she will explain to Gray-sama about Storm."

Cana laughed. "Oh, right. I forgot I could put off telling my Dad he was my Dad and you can't quite do that."

Juvia chuckled.

Cana nodded. "Thought of what to say?" She asked after a pause.

Juvia shook her head.

It was quiet for a moment and Cana started to walk off.

"Well, see, how I figured it was he was my Dad so anyway I said it, it would still be true. It meant a lot to him anyhow," Cana said.

Juvia watched her walk off and smiled. Cana was very smart at times.

* * *

><p><strong>One more chapter down, guys ^^ Just like I promised. <strong>

**Looks like Juvia's got a lot to worry about nowadays, and Gray still isn't back. Stay tuned for more.**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review.**

**And most of all, thank you for reading. **

**-J**


	11. Chapter 10

Rubble. The sound of fire on objects that burned slowly. Almost silence beyond the sound of the wind over the broken remains of a guild hall. The beaten Element 4 lay on the floor, alive but not moving. They wouldn't move now. Not until he was gone.

Far off, standing alone with a useless grin on his face, was Master Jose. He was stupid, they thought, to fight against him.

"Say it," a voice repeated, his words heavy in the air. "Say you'll forget my name and everything that has to do with it."

Jose shook his head, taking slow steps back. "I'll never forget. I _will _bring the 4 back together, maybe not with her, but with someone strong and we all know the strongest come from Fairy Tail."

Stone colored eyes glared at as the sound of footsteps on stone grew closer until the man stood over Jose, hands in fists at his sides.

"Say it." The voice repeated, but this time with more of a threatening voice.

Jose shook his head. "There'll be no end to it, boy."

The man shook his head and looked down at the beaten leftovers of a once great Guild Master. "I won't let you hurt my family anymore."

A hand raised, pressed against Jose's forehead, and tensed slightly.

"Ice make lance!"

It was quick and the sound of Jose's body on the rubble was only a second behind the words. The man turned slowly, walking away while he wiped his hand on his pants. He did not stop to say a word to the Element 4. He knew he had said enough with that last bit of magic. They understood.

As the destruction behind him became distant, Gray Fullbuster looked at the sunset in the distance and gave a vague smile.

"I'm coming home," he said gently to the air. "Just like I promised, Juvia."

* * *

><p><strong>Gray's finally back, guys :D I don't think there's really much else to say about this chapter :P The next one will be up as soon as I can get to it. <strong>

**Follow, Favorite, Review**

**And thank you so much for reading ^^**

**-J**


	12. Chapter 11

Juvia sat in the park on a bench close enough to watch Storm playing with Jule, Laxus and Mira's son. She took a slow breath of Spring air and opened the book Levy had suggested to her.

"They told me you'd be out here," said a familiar voice as a hand came to rest on Juvia's shoulder.

She turned around in an instant, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"Gray-sama?"

It was him. She knew it was. He stood just a little bit taller than he had been, wearing his usual black pants and jacket, his black hair a little messier than usual. He wore a smile that she had missed so much as he looked at her.

"Juvia," he said calmly.

Juvia felt tears well in her eyes and her heart beat faster as she looked at those dark eyes. She jumped out of the bench, throwing her arm around his neck.

"Oh, Gray-sama, you're alive! Juvia knew it!" She said, hugging him a little too tightly. She leaned back and put her hands on his cheeks to over his entire face. "Gray-sama is not hurt is he? Did you find Phantom? Did Gray-sama miss Juvia? Juvia cannot believe Gray-sama is back and alive!"

He laughed lightly, hands on her hips. "Slow down. We can talk about all of that later." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "I can't believe you're up and walking. Everyone was so worried about you. I was worried."

She gave a shy smile. "Juvia is fine. Juvia is more than fine now."

He smiled at her, putting his forehead on hers.

"Ma!" Said a little voice.

Juvia turned instantly to look at her little Storm. He stood with a little dirt on his cheek and a big, curious smile on his face and his black hair its usual mess. He looked questioningly at her and the man next to her.

"What..." Gray mumbled, his hands falling from her sides.

Juvia glanced at Gray and took a slow breath. She leaned down to the little boy and put her hands on his. "Storm, this is Gray," she said, looking up at Gray.

Gray looked back with a confused expression, but he seemed to understand slowly as the little boy's blue eyes looked at him from a face that he knew well.

The little boy raised his tiny hand and smiled wide. "Hi."

"Gray-sama, this is Storm," Juvia said, standing to have the boy's hand still in hers, "... Your son."

Gray froze, his hands limp at his sides and his eyes on Juvia's, then on the little boy. His eyes were exactly like hers, but the rest of him was all Gray Fullbuster. The boy's messy hair and little smirk and even the way he stood was just like Gray.

Gray leaned down to crouch in front of the boy, his eyes on Storm's blue ones. He gave a weak smile and asked, "Is that who you are, kiddo?"

The little boy looked at him for a moment with his head tilted a bit to the side. This kid couldn't have even been two, Gray noticed. The kid suddenly gave a wide smile and put his hand on Gray's guild mark. He looked up at Gray's face and giggled, putting his arms around Gray in a soft hug.

Gray felt his chest tighten and put his hand on the back of the little boy's head and the other around him. This was his kid, he realized. He hugged the little boy close and closed his eyes, standing with the boy still held to his neck. He threw his arm around Juvia and held his little family close. He could feel the sobs in his chest and he decided that today, he could take a break from being a tough guy. He let his tears roll down his face and kept the two close.

"I'm sorry," he said to them both.

The little boy gave him a genuine smile and Juvia shook her head.

"Gray-sama is always forgiven."

Gray gave them a smile and hugged them back to him.

"I'll make it up to you," he said, "I promise."

_**xxxx**_

After a short celebration at the Guild Hall for Gray's return, Storm grew tired and Gray decided it was time to head home. He picked up little Storm from his spot with his head on one of the tables and Storm cuddled up with his head on Gray's shoulder for the walk home.

When they got back, Juvia took Storm and went upstairs to put him in bed while Gray sat on the couch and put his hands behind his head. He had missed this little place with its standard furniture and the smell of Juvia. It was a little while later that Juvia came back down the stairs with a blankie on her shoulder. She let out a little sigh and Gray put his arm out for her to come sit with him.

"We have a lot to catch up on, huh?" Gray asked when she settled into the space under his arm.

Juvia nodded.

"Well, why don't you start?" Gray asked. "Why didn't you tell me, Juvia? About the baby, I mean."

Juvia looked at the blanket she was smoothing out into a little square on her lap. "Juvia meant to tell Gray-sama that night when you left for the job with Loke, but Juvia chickened out and decided to tell Gray-sama the next day, but Jose and the 4 came and Juvia didn't get the chance until after she woke up, and by then, Gray-sama had gone..."

Gray sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Juvia. Gajeel was right. That was stupid... Running off like that. I just... Got so mad... seeing what they did to you..." He looked at her leg and put a hand on the fabric of her dress. "Did it heal up alright?"

Juvia nodded, tugging it up slightly. "It only has little bits of scar now."

Gray nodded. The brand had mostly faded, leaving only little raised lines where it had been. He ran his fingers absently over the little marks as he spoke.

"What was it like, Juvia?" He asked. "Having the baby and all. I missed all of that..."

She smiled sadly, then let out a little laugh. "The having of the baby was probably the worst part," she admitted. "Juvia thought she was dying, but seeing Storm's little face... It brought such joy to Juvia. It was so incredible, Gray-sama."

He smiled, looking at her bright eyes as the familiar memories ran through her mind. "Has he always been so... Cute?"

Juvia giggled. "Storm has always looked like Gray-sama."

Gray shook his head playfully. "I said cute."

"Oh very," Juvia said, standing to walk over the table and grab a photo album. She sat back down and rested it on Gray's lap. She flipped the first page and showed him pictures as she spoke. "This was Storm the day he was born. Gray-sama, he was precious. Everyone thought so." She flipped a few pages. "Storm's first birthday."

Gray smiled looking at the little smiles on his son's face from page to page. He looked like such a happy baby. He was glad to see him being away hadn't hurt the boy.

"Juvia, he has your eyes," Gray said, putting a hand on Juvia's cheek.

Juvia blushed ."It's the only thing Storm got from Juvia."

He smiled. "He does kinda look like me."

She nodded. Suddenly, she raised an eyebrow. "Gray-sama, did you find Phantom?"

He looked away from her and nodded. "I did."

"Did you ... Kill anyone?"

He tensed slightly. "Jose."

She looked at his tense face and put a hand to his cheek. "Gray-sama..."

He sighed. "I gave them all a chance, but Jose didn't take it. He said he would never stop going after us and I... I snapped. I didn't want him coming back." He looked at the photo of Storm's little smiling face. "Now, I'm sure I made the right choice."

Juvia nodded. "He was dangerous, Gray-sama."

Gray nodded. "But let's not talk about them. I want to talk about the good things. I've had enough of the bad things. So, why Storm Fullbuster?"

Juvia gave him a smile and they talked late into the night, cuddled close together on the couch.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know if its just me, but I love the Gray as a daddy thing. I think he'll do just fine. <strong>

**Follow,Favorite, Review and thank you so much for reading. **

**-J**


	13. Chapter 12

It was quiet with rain beating gently on the window. The dark outside was only broken by the moonlight streaming in.

Gray was wide awake, his arm around a sleeping Juvia in her room.

A little cry grew louder from the next room and Juvia woke up. "I'll get it," she said in a tired voice.

Gray shook his head, gently laying her back down. He slid out of the bed and tugged on some pajama pants. "I'll get it, Juvia."

She looked a little worried. "Gray-sama, Storm is a bit of a Mommy's boy."

He smiled. "I can handle it."

Gray walked carefully out of their room and into the blue room next to it. He clicked on the little cloud shaped lamp on the dresser and walked over to the crib where the little boy lay crying under a shiny mobile of what looked like raindrops.

The little boy looked up at him, his blue eyes teary.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, Storm," Gray said, putting a hand on the little boy's. "What's wrong?"

Storm stopped crying, his lip just in a little pout as he looked at the man.

"Come here," Gray said, putting his arms out to the boy who happily stood up and went with him. Gray held him on his hip and smiled. "Here, I know what'll help you sleep."

Gray walked downstairs, the little boy on his hip. He flicked on the lights in the kitchen and sat Storm in the highchair.

"There you go. Hold on. I got just the thing." Gray said, putting a little pot on the stove and going to dig in the fridge. In a moment, he had a sippy cup in one hand and a cup in the other both full of warm milk.

"Here," he said, sitting at the chair closest to the high chair. "One for you, one for me."

The little boy smiled and took a drink from his cup while Gray took one from his. They both swallowed and let out a little sigh.

Gray laughed. "Good?"

Storm nodded enthusiastically.

Gray smiled. "Cool."

Juvia leaned on the doorway of the kitchen. She hasn't been able to fall asleep. The boys didn't notice her.

"Tired yet?" Gray asked.

The little boy smiled and shook his head.

Gray shrugged. "Alright, but you gotta get some sleep soon or your Mom'll kill me. We don't want that, do we?"

Storm shook his head, taking another sip from his cup.

A few minutes later, he fell asleep at his high chair and Gray carefully maneuvered the infant out of it. He carried him carefully upstairs and tucked him into his crib, pressing a kiss to his forehead before going back his room where Juvia was already fast asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about taking so long on these two guys... <strong>

**Merry early Christmas to all of you and Happy birthday to a special reader ^^**

**Follow, Favorite and Review**

**And thank you for reading!**

**-J**


	14. Chapter 13

Juvia woke up the next morning intending to go in the bathroom and get ready to go meet the boys who had decides to go down to the Hall early, but instead she found both of her boys in the bathroom, Gray standing with Storm's back against his chest and both shirtless staring in the mirror.

"What are you two doing?" Juvia asked, brushing her messy hair from her eyes.

Gray glanced in her direction and laughed. "Juvia, watch this." He looked back in the mirror and flexed his arms with a groan of machismo. Storm giggled and did the same. Juvia soon caught herself laughing too and shook her head.

"Storm and Gray-sama are very tough," she said, giving them each a little kiss, one on the head and one on the lips. "But Juvia has to get ready."

Gray sighed, picking up his son who looked imitatively disappointed. As they walked out, Juvia heard Gray tell the toddler. "Oi, Storm. Here's your lady lesson for the day: When a woman wants the bathroom, expecting to be locked out of it for a good hour."

Storm nodded solemnly. "Otay."

Juvia shook her head with an exasperated smile.

"What will Juvia do with you two?"

_**xxxx**_

Gray woke up on Christmas morning with a toddler on his chest, patting his cheeks a little too hard. He squinted one eye open and saw Juvia behind Storm giggling. Storm heard his mother laugh and began to do the same. Gray smirked, grabbing the boy's hands.

"Oh, is that funny?" He shifted to lean the boy on his back. "Huh?" He asked, tickling Storm's sides.

The boy laughed, squirming away from him. He hopped off the bed and ran to his Mom who scooped him up and planted a kiss on his cheek that the boy wiped off with hands.

Juvia smiled. "We should get down to the Hall, Gray-sama."

Gray nodded, hopping of bed and dragging himself to get ready.

The usual festivities happened with gifts and candy and food and, for the adults, drinking. Gray watched his son and Natsu's daughter playing on one of tables with a few of their new toys and smiled. It had been a pretty relaxing day, after all.

Gray turned and called his son. "Storm!" The little boy looked up instantly and jogged over, tugging off his little knitted hat (a habit he was starting to get from his dad) and putting it in his pocket. Gray caught him as he jumped off the floor and gave him a quick hug.

"Hey, kiddo. Dad's got one more present for you," he said, sitting him on the table in front of him and Juvia. He put a hand in his pocket and took out a little black box similar to the one Juvia's gift (a snowflake necklace) had been in. He opened it and pulled out a necklace just like his own, the sword with a blue stone. He clipped it around Storm's neck and smiled. "Now we both have one."

Storm smiled, running his fingers over his necklace for a minute before hugging Gray around his neck.

Gray smiled. "Love ya, kid."

Storm leaned back and looked at Gray, his little hands on Gray's cheeks, and said his first real word since Yes and No. "Daddy!"

Gray raised an eyebrow and let out a little laugh, looking at Juvia. "Did he just...?"

Juvia was already smiling widely, her hands on her mouth. "Storm said..."

Storm clapped his hands together and repeated, "Daddy."

Gray laughed and picked up his son. "That's right, Storm." He pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

><p><strong>HHere's one just for the holidays. I meant to post it last night, but I have two little nephews who just won't open presents without me ^^<strong>

**A Merry Christmas to all of you.**

**Follow, favorite, and review**

**And thank you for reading!**

**-J**


	15. Chapter 14

"Gray-sama, don't forget his bag," Juvia reminded Gray as he grabbed his son's hand to walk out of the Hall.

Gray rolled his eyes playfully. "I know, I know."

Storm began to run ahead and Juvia frowned. "Are you sure Juvia can't tag along?"

Gray and Storm shook their heads simultaneously, as if they'd practiced. "Juvia, it's guy time. We gotta bond, right?"

Juvia nodded uneasily. "But..."

"Juvia, we'll be back in no time," he assured her for the hundredth time.

The boys walked out and Juvia pouted. Hands landed on her shoulders and she turned around to see a smiling Levy.

"Well, Ju-chan, how about some girl time then?" She asked, motioning to Erza, Mira and Lisanna by the door. "We're going to go get some food and walk the city."

Juvia smiled, shrugging. "Alright. Why not?"

She went to join them and occupied her time with the girls and a couple of their kids.

Gray got back to the hall a few hours later, his hand on Storm's. He stopped at the doorway when he saw Juvia sitting with the other girls. He kneeled at the door, digging in his pocket and pulling out a little black velvet box.

"Storm," he said, "Take this to Mommy."

Storm took the little box in his hand and nodded. He held it in both hands and jogged over to where Juvia sat. She looked down at her son and smiled widely, scooping him up for his usual hugs and kisses. Storm stopped her by holding out the little box. Juvia raised an eyebrow and took it curiously from him.

Gray had stood up and slowly began to walk toward the table with a little smirk on his face.

Juvia opened the box and the other girls looked at the contents with raised eyebrows. Juvia held a hand to her mouth and turned around instantly, her eyes lock in on Gray's and he could see tears building up in them.

Gray had taken Storm to find the perfect ring with him, and, seeing the face Juvia made, he knew he'd made the right choice. The box held a white gold ring with one diamond in the center, not overly big, the band lined with tiny sapphires. Juvia hadn't taken it out of the box and Gray walked over, popping the ring from the box. He took a deep breath and kneeled in front of Juvia.

Everyone's eyes locked on them and it was completely quiet.

_Thanks, guys, _Gray thought. _That'll make it easier. _

"Juvia," he started, looking into her blue eyes. "I wa-"

"Yes." She said, putting her hands on her cheeks, a deep blush spreading across her nose.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "But I didn't even finish saying ..."

"Yes. Yes." She repeated, putting her hands on his cheeks instead.

Gray rolled his eyes with a smile. "Marry me?"

She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close. "Oh, Gray-sama! Yes! Yes and yes!"

He laughed, putting the ring on her finger and picking her up and spinning her around once, his arms landing around her waist.

"Daddy! Mommy!" Storm called from his spot next to the bench.

Gray smiled, picking him up to be part of the hug. "Mommy and Daddy are stuck together now, kiddo," he said.

Storm giggled. "Otay."

Juvia pressed a kiss to her boy's foreheads and everyone started to cheer.

Cana already knew. Her eyes locked on the Master and she had a bright smile, chin rested on her hands.

Makarov rolled his eyes. "Free drinks in honor of Gray and Juvia!"

"And Storm!" Storm added, holding up his arms.

"To the Fullbusters!" Makarov said, mug held high.

The cheer rose in the Hall and the tall didn't stop until after the reception a couple of months later.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry I've been taking so long between chapters everyone. Its been a busy week Here's another one and a Happy early New Year to you all ^^<strong>

**favorite, follow, and review**

**And thank you all for reading.**

**-J**


	16. Chapter 15

Storm got older quickly, getting to look even more Gray. He got taller, started to train in ice magic like his Dad, and spent a lot of his time around the Hall. He had made friends more quickly than Gray since he was more social like Juvia, but he didn't talk much. He had a habit of stripping randomly, but he tried to keep his shirt or jacket on his shoulder.

And he was getting damn good at magic by the time he was nine.

"Okay, ready?"

"Geez, Dad. Yeah," Storm said with a grin as he stood in the clearing in the forest, his shirt of the tree trunk nearby and his eyes locked on his father. "Anytime."

Gray stood firm, his fist hitting his hand with a slap. "Ice make lance!"

The frozen bolts shot his way, and Storm bounced off of the ground. He could hear the zip of the ice through the air, but knew he had gotten away from one more attack. He turned back to his Dad, trying to match his speed in defense before he could jump onto better attacks.

As soon as he turned around, he saw another volley of frozen lances burst his way. He couldn't dodge them. Not fast enough. This was gonna hurt.

The sharp blades of ice flew Storm's way and Gray's eyes grew wide. His hands dropped to his sides and he began to run his son's way. The ice could go straight through him. It could tear him apart.

_I killed him. Oh my God._ Gray's mind screamed.

"Storm! Move!" Gray shouted, but he could see there wasn't enough time to get away.

The ice speared into him, hitting his chest, his ear, his legs, his hands…Storm's eyes grew wide, but he couldn't move. His eyes closed and when they opened, he saw his Dad frozen just a few feet away from him, his mouth wide open. Storm couldn't help it.

He laughed.

The ice hit the tree trunk behind him the sound of shattering glass and Storm stood completely unharmed. The grin on his face said it all. Well, the ripples in his skin helped too.

"You… You…" Gray stammered out.

"Man, I'm really glad that worked. If it hadn't, it probably would have sucked a lot," Storm said in response.

"How did…?"

"Mom," Storm said with a wide grin. "I told her I needed a way to keep up with you in a fight so she taught me Water Body."

"Water… Body…" Gray mumbled, then he started to laugh too. He calmly walked over to Storm and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Way to go, kid! I would have never thought of it. How long did it take you to get down?"

"That's the first time I've really tried it mid-fight," Storm responded, tugging on his shirt.

"That's awesome!"

They walked back to the Hall. They talked the whole way back and Gray realized he'd have to learn a little something more to keep up with his son from now on.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about that huge delay. Life got a little complicated. Here's the next chapter ^^<strong>

**Follow, favorite, and Review.**

**And thank you all for sticking around.**

**-J**


	17. Chapter 16

It was a warm day in summer, and all the guys were having a day to themselves. Sort of.

"Don't forget to feed them at the right time, Bixslow," Lisanna repeated, handing him a bag full of diapers and bottles.

"Jellal, if she has a single stain on that pretty dress when I get back…" Erza said, her eyes stony.

"I know, I know. I'm dead," Jellal replied, giving her a quick kiss.

"Gajeel, she hasn't been without me for long periods of time and she gets bored, so try to keep her entertained and jus-"

"Shrimp. I got this. She likes me too," Gajeel responded. "Plus, she's fast asleep."

"Not for long."

"Don't say that."

It had been about an hour, and so far all the kids were still accounted for and hadn't gotten into a ton of mischief. The guys sat around one table, drinks in front of them and tired eyes. They all sat silently, occasionally drinking out of their mugs. No one wanted to make much noise.

Gajeel finally let out a sigh from his spot sitting next to his sleeping little daughter curled up on a blanket on the bench. "Okay, real talk time, guys. Can we talk about feelings?"

All the guys stared back at him, blinking slowly and confused. One by one, they set down their mugs and looked at him. His dark eyes scanned them too and he sighed once more.

"Look, what I mean is that I was thinking being a Dad is… really weird," he continued. "I mean, like… they're tiny and really annoying sometimes, but I don't think I loved anybody this much since I met her Mom. And honestly, who cried when they saw their kid the first time?"

It was silent and all the guys looked at each other. No one wanted to be the first to do it, so the question hung in the air. Eyes darted back and forth. Breathing was the only sound for a moment at the little gathering.

Jellal finally held up his hand slowly, eyes on Gajeel.

"I mean, how can you not, I guess?" Jellal reasoned. "They're all tiny and cute and they look like you and your love and you kinda… shut down. Your mind is all tough or whatever, but you just kinda… cry."

"Alright. Cool, so I wasn't the only one," Gajeel muttered.

"I getcha," Natsu chimed in. "I mean, you sort of hit this point and you just let yourself cry. No sobbing or anything whiney like that. It's just… tears."

"Yeah…"

The mutter died down and Gajeel shrugged.

"I don't get why I like it so much either, 'cuz it actually really sucks a lot of the time," he added. He nodded towards the sleeping little girl at his side. Her dark curls poked out of the blankets and she let out a content little sigh in her sleep. Gajeel gave a little smile. "They don't sleep enough and never at the right times and the Mini Shrimp here likes to cry for nothing and it just seems weird that you like 'em so much, you know?"

The guys all nodded.

"I still think seeing Lucy pregnant was the weirdest part," Natsu mumbled. "Like… all the getting bigger and the cravings and the kicking baby and all."

"Yeah," the guys agreed collectively.

Gray stared awkwardly at the others, occasionally glancing around as they spoke. He didn't know a thing about any of this part. He was perpetually lost before the age of about one year old.

"And the mood swings," Gajeel muttered. "Levy used to get ticked and just throw books at me. I mean, I got used to it after a while, like… I could see when it was coming."

From the other table, Laxus looked his way and raised an eyebrow. "Mirajane. Strauss."

The guys all looked at him for a minute, the words sinking into their minds. They all looked back at each other and a collective shiver went through them. The only one who didn't flinch was Jellal Fernandes. He calmly looked back at Laxus and raised an eyebrow in return.

"Erza Scarlet."

The guys looked back and forth between the two, eyes darting from one to the other like a tennis match. Neither flinched. Neither blinked.

Laxus finally put out a hand to Jellal. "Call it a draw?"

"Fine with me," he said, shaking his hand.

"Wait, what about the diapers though?" Natsu muttered.

"I don't have a problem with 'em," Bixslow muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "I have my babies do it when Lisanna isn't around. She doesn't know that, but it's true."

"Wait, so your little puppets always do it?" Gajeel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yeah," he responded. "I tried it once, but I don't do it anymore."

"Why?" Natsu asked from across the table.

Bixslow's eye got unfocused and he stared off into the distance. A dark shadow crossed his face and he shivered. He looked back up at the guys and blinked steadily at Natsu.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"The magic stuff is really crazy," Jellal interjected. "Once they start figuring it out, they just sort of do it and you can't do much to stop them."

Bixslow looked at him and muttered, "Triplets, man. Triplets."

"Is it really that bad?" Jellal asked, tilting his head slightly.

Bixslow sighed. "Let me show you guys something. Gentleman!" he called over his shoulder, "Come here!"

Three little boys, about three years old, stood from their spot sitting on the ground with the other kids and jogged over to their dad. They were all white-haired boys, a little lanky, but very cute. They had chubby cheeks like their mother, but their devious smirks reminded everyone of Bixslow. They looked exactly alike but for the differing eye colors, one blue, one green, and one brown.

Bixslow stood up to move and stand behind them. He put his hands on the shoulders of the ones on either side of him. He looked up at the guys and cracked a humorless smile.

"Okay, so I have three boys. They looked exactly the same most of the time." He sighed. "Now, here's the kicker: One of them does something the other two can't."

"What do you mean?" Gajeel asked.

"Two of them can do Takeovers," he responded, "One can't. That one, however, can control the other two with his eyes, like me."

The guys stared back at him confused. It was Jellal that broke the silence.

"Uh, Bixslow."

"Yes?"

"They all have … uh… I think puppy ears," he muttered.

Bixslow glanced down quickly. Sure enough, all three of the boys were glancing at each other and giggling over the ears on their heads. He shook his head and motioned for the boys to walk away before he muttered, "Crap."

"Maybe they all know both magics," Gray offered.

Bixslow looked his way. "Can't you just let me dream?"

It got quiet for a moment and Natsu turned to Gray.

"What about you, man? Don't you ever wanna live through all the early stuff? It's not so bad. I mean, it's kinda cool watching 'em learn how to walk and stuff."

Gray shrugged, looking down at his drink. "I mean, sometimes. I missed a lot and it sucks, but I think I've been doing a pretty solid job at keeping up with everything since I got back. My kid likes me enough. I guess sometimes I wish I could live through the early stuff."

They all murmured agreements. It was quiet for the rest of the afternoon as they drank their drinks and ran after their kids from time to time. The girls came back by sunset.

"Gray-sama," said a voice very quietly by his ear, "Can Juvia talk to you?"

He looked up at her with a gentle smile. "Yeah, sure."

Juvia grabbed his hand and walked him a little bit away. She sat on one of the nearby tables and started to talk very quietly. All the guys got very quiet, curiously watching them. The girls picked up their kids and nodded for the guys to follow.

They took long enough to watch Gray's eyes get wide as he listened to Juvia. He got a huge smile on his face and scooped her up into one of those twirly, movie kind of hugs. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before holding her closer to him. She giggled gently.

The guys raised an eyebrow and Gajeel was the one that finally asked.

"What the hell's that about?"

"Juvia's having another baby," Levy said, picking up her daughter Mai.

"Wait, seriously?" Gajeel asked, looking over at the couple.

"Looks that way," Levy responded with a bright smile.

The guys held up little thumbs-ups from across the room which Gray returned when he noticed them. It was gonna be a pretty long, but pretty amazing nine months.

* * *

><p><strong>New baby time :D<strong>

**I hope you guys like the chapter. **

Favorite, Follow, and Review.

And thank you all for reading ^^

-J


	18. Chapter 17

It all started the next day with Juvia sitting up in bed very early in the morning. Gray was fast asleep at her side. That is, he was until she threw off the blankets and jogged into the bathroom. He heard the door slam shut behind her and then the sound violent vomiting.

He sat up quickly slid out of bed and jogged into the bathroom, his heart pounding in his ears and his eyes wide. He opened the door slowly and found her leaning with her forehead on her crossed arms, taking slow steadying breaths. He kneeled next to her and gently ran a hand on her back.

"You okay?" he asked carefully.

"Mhmm…" she mumbled, picking up her head and sighing. "That is one thing Juvia did not miss."

He laughed gently, standing and offering her a hand. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up and I'll make you guys something to eat."

She nodded, grabbing her tooth brush.

He went to walk out and poked in his head again. "Are you sure you're okay? Is it always this bad? I mean, that was bad."

She shrugged, putting down the toothpaste. "Juvia thinks it was just this bad last time."

He sighed, crossing his arms. "Are you sure?"

Juvia giggled lightly. "Juvia is pretty sure. Just relax, Gray-sama."

He smiled lightly. "Alright, alright. Meet me downstairs."

Juvia gave a little smile as he walked away and shook her head. He was going to be overprotective.

* * *

><p><strong>Short but sweet ^^<strong>

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**And thank you all for reading.**

**-J**


	19. Chapter 18

A few weeks later, Juvia and Gray sat in the Hall.

Juvia looked over at the S-class job board and pouted slightly. She leaned back from her spot leaning on Gray's shoulder and put a hand on his. "Gray-sama, you haven't gone on a job in a while."

He gave her a little smile and nodded. "I know. I planned it out so that I'll only be on three jobs the entire nine months. They'll be really intense and I'll probably be gone a few days at a time, but it'll keep us together most of the time."

Juvia smiled, looking at him with slightly teary eyes. "Really?"

He chuckled slightly, putting his arms around her. "Yep. I missed a lot last time and I promised myself that I would miss as little as possible this time."

She flashed him a bright smile and buried her face against his arm. "Juvia loves you."

"Gray loves you too," he responded, pressing a kiss to her head.

xxxx

Gray stood at the stove a few weeks later, wearing his pants and an apron and stirring something in front of him. Juvia sat comfortably curled up on the couch, a book in her hand and the other curled up on her rounding stomach. It was quiet until the front door opened and slammed shut and a very ticked off looking Storm walked quickly through the living room and past them, slamming his bedroom door too.

Gray stopped what he was doing and turned to Juvia. His eyebrow raised as he asked, "What was that about?"

She shook her head. "Juvia doesn't know, but Storm looked very upset."

Gray's eyebrows lowered in thought and he took off the apron, setting it on the back of one of the chairs. "I'll be right back," he mumbled to Juvia as he walked to his son's room.

The door was closed, but unlocked and Gray gently tapped on it before walking in.

The boy sat on his bed, his back to the wall and his head leaned back. His eyes were closed shut and he let out a sigh. He didn't look over to his Dad.

"Storm…?" Gray asked cautiously. "What happened?"

He shook his head. "Nash is pissed off at me," he muttered, opening his deep blue eyes.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "How come?" He moved to sit in a chair at the edge of the bed.

"Well, I went to the Hall this morning and I was gonna ask her to go on a real date today and she wasn't there and she didn't get back until it was starting to get dark and I was already kinda ticked. She gets there and she walks over to me and she sees I'm mad and she asks what's up and I told her I waited for her all day and she's like 'Sorry. I was on a job.' I asked her who she was with 'cuz I'm like her job partner and she says Jule," he says bitterly. "I got kinda pissed…"

Gray leaned his elbows on the bed and looked at the sheets for a minute before looking up at his son again. "Were you a little… harsh? I mean, are you a little...jealous?"

He could hear Storm's teeth grind together before he let out a quick breath and nodded. "I don't try to be, but… sometimes I just am."

Gray nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "Well, she isn't that way, Storm. Nashi is laid back like her Dad, so you gotta try to restrain that whole thing."

He sighed. "I know… I just… I thought about her being out all day with him when I wanted to go on a date and I just kinda… snapped. I said some stuff and she got ticked and stormed off and I haven't seen her all day."

Gray nodded and thought before giving him an answer. "Well, tell you what, kid. You're gonna have to say you're sorry. I know that's the worst part of a fight, but just… figure out what to say and say it. She's gonna be a little ticked or a while, but give her some time. You gotta make it up to her."

Storm nodded and took a few deep breaths. "Alright."

"Just… give her some flowers or something," Gray added. "You know, whatever would make her happy."

Storm stared at the ceiling for a moment before nodding with a faint smile. "I know what I'll do."

"There ya go," Gray said, standing. He patted his son's cheek and went to walk out.

"Oh, Dad?" Storm said from behind him.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

Gray gave him a genuine smile and nodded. "Anytime, kid."

* * *

><p><strong>^^ A little bit longer chapter this time. Thank you guys all for being so patient. I'm so glad I have you guys. Next chapter will be up in no time. <strong>

**P.s. I got the babies planned out, so it isn't going to be a surprise for meee...**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review.**

**And most of all, thank you for reading.**

**-J**


	20. Chapter 19

Gray sat comfortably one afternoon with the other guys at one of the tables. He took a little drink from his mug and looked out the door for moment before standing and stretching his arms.

"Alright, guys. I'll catch you later," he said, tugging on his jacket.

The other guys looked at him curiously, then Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"Baby classes," he said calmly.

Gajeel snorted slightly. "What?"

"That thing Mira and Wendy put together?" Laxus asked from the nearby table.

"Yeah. Juvia brought it up and I said that I'd go," Gray responded. "I mean, I need to learn the early stuff anyhow, so it'll help."

Natsu shrugged. "If you say so."

Gray shook his head with a smile. "Hey, I promised her. If she wants to take some corny classes, I'm all for it."

Jellal nodded with a little smile.

Just then, Juvia walked up to him, her hand grabbing Gray's. She gave him a little smile. "Coming, Gray-sama?"

He nodded, "Sure thing." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Let's go."

They walked off to one of the upstairs rooms and the guys shrugged between each other.

* * *

><p><strong>I think Gray'd be a great daddy ^^ We'll see soon. <strong>

**Follow, favorite, and Review. **

**And thank you all for reading. **

**-J**


	21. Chapter 20

A few months later, Gray had just come back from one of his jobs and was bone tired. He had stopped at the infirmary to have Wendy and Mira clean up his wounds from the job, but he knew he still looked a little beat up. He jogged into the house to give Juvia a quick kiss and hello on the couch before saying he needed to take a quick shower. The warm water fell over his shoulders and he scrubbed shampoo into his hair and tried to rub the dirt off of his arms. He couldn't get rid of the little cuts and bruises though. He would have to come up with something to tell Juvia about those. He didn't want her worrying right now. He had heard that it was bad for the baby to have her stress and maybe he could jus-

"Gray-sama!"

Gray damn near fell out of the shower at the yell. He didn't turn off the water, but grabbed a towel as he stumbled and slipped out of the bathroom. He tucked it around his waist before he got to the living room where Juvia had been laying on the couch. He grabbed onto the back of a chair to steady himself when he got to the room and saw Juvia sitting up a bit more with her hands on her stomach.

"What happened? Are you okay? What's wrong? Should I call Wendy and Mira? Juvia?" he stammered out in rapid sentences, a bit of shampoo dribbling over his ear.

Juvia looked up at him curiously and put out a hand to him. "Come here."

"Juvia, what's wrong?" he asked again, a little more urgently, but took her hand and stepped a bit closer.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Well then what did you yell for? I thought something was wrong. Juvia, you can't just scare me like that. I mean, I almost cracked my skull open on the-"

"Shh…" she murmured, guiding his hand to rest on her stomach with hers holding his fingers still.

Gray thought she had lost her mind. _That's it. She's crazy._ he thought, looking at her concentrating features as she watched his hand.

Then, he felt a gentle nudging under his palm and his eyes shot up to meet Juvia's. She had a goofy smile on her face and he knew he did too. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Was… was that…?"

"Juvia thinks it was a foot, but… she can't be sure," Juvia responded, letting go of his hand, but he didn't move it.

He laughed gently, sitting near her feet on the couch. "That was… really…"

"Juvia knows."

"I mean… how does it feel on your end?" he asked curiously, putting his other hand on her round stomach. "How did you even get it to start moving?"

She giggled. "Juvia was just reading out loud (Mira says that's very good to do) and it just sort of started. It feels… really weird from the inside."

Gray smiled lightly. "Cool. I'm gonna have to start talking more around you two."

Juvia smiled, putting her hands over his. "Well, get started, Gray-sama."

He pressed a kiss to her hands and nodded. "Sure."

xxxx

About an hour later, Gray lay with Juvia's back to his chest and both hands around her significantly bigger waist. He put his chin on her shoulder and gave a little smile.

"You picked a name yet, Juvia?" he asked.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "No. Juvia wanted to wait. She thought Gray-sama would want to help pick one."

He smiled widely. "Yeah."

"So, has Gray-sama thought of anything?" she asked.

"I've been thinking if it's a boy, I like Urian."

"Urian?" she asked curiously.

"I was thinking of Ur, I mean she did a lot for me, and it was the first thing that sounded right to me," he explained.

Juvia smiled. "Okay. I like that."

Gray nodded. "I couldn't think of any girl names, though." He pouted slightly. "Besides Summer."

"Summer? Summer Fullbuster," Juvia said slowly, looking at the ceiling. "Hmm… Juvia likes that, Gray-sama."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't think you'd like it."

Juvia shook her head and smiled. "Juvia likes it very much."

"Really?" he asked, a little eagerly.

"Yes," she said with a smile.

"Well, are we agreed then?"

She nodded. "Summer for a girl," she said, running a hand over her stomach, "and Urian for a boy."

Gray smiled, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Perfect."

* * *

><p><strong>Name all picked out and ready to go. It's all going by so fast, huh?<strong>

**Follow, Favorite, and Review. **

**And thank you all for reading. **

**-J**


	22. Chapter 21

Juvia started getting very excited soon after that.

Juvia grew very excited after that. She began to ask to buy clothes and toys and, mostly, a new crib. Gray was happy to take her to any store she wanted to buy or order whatever she liked. She chose a hand-carved crib that was beautiful and worth every penny. They had to put it together eventually, but that could wait a little bit.

A few nights later, Gray lie awake in bed, his arm around Juvia and hand laying over her growing stomach. He had learned to sleep this way since the day she had told him the news. He couldn't fully understand why, but he slept better feeling like he was protecting both of them.

He sighed, carefully slipping out of bed. He wasn't tired. He got a small smile, deciding what he wanted to do for entertainment. He got to the door before Juvia stirred in bed and looked toward him.

"Gray-sama?" she asked.

"Hey," he said, walking back over to press a kiss to her forehead. "It's fine. I just can't sleep, so I'm gonna go do something until I'm tired, okay?"

She nodded tiredly. "Alright… but make sure to come back to bed, Gray-sama. You need to sleep."

He nodded, giving her one more quick kiss before going out into the hall.

The hallway was dimly lit by the moon streaming in through the window at the end of the hall. Gray took slow steps over the cold floor on his bare feet and into the room just a door down. He flicked on the light and smiled vaguely.

The room was almost completely empty. The walls were a light blue, the same color they had been when Storm was a baby, but the furniture had been cleaned out years ago. The new stuff lay in boxes around the room, waiting to be assembled and decorated with all the things he and Juvia had chosen. He sat down next to one of the large boxes and looked around the room with a vague smile.

He knew exactly what he'd do tonight.

Juvia awoke the next morning in her soft bedsheet. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes

gently. She looked next to her and saw Gray was not in his usual place. She pouted slightly and slipped out of bed as best she could.

She took uneasy steps down the hallway, hand on her stomach. The only light came from the nursery just a bit away. She walked a little more quickly that way and leaned on the doorway. A vague smile spread over her face.

She found Gray in the room, still in his pajamas, setting a stuffed bear on shelf that hadn't been on the wall the previous night.

"Gray-sama?"

"Hmm?" he asked, turning her way. He smiled gently. "Goodmorning."

"Have you been up all night?" she asked, walking to him.

He puts his arms around her and nodded. "Yeah. I got caught up doing this and… I finished it."

She looked around the room and laughed gently. "You did."

The furniture had all been assembled. The light nightstand and the crib across the room, the shelves, they had all been put in their places. The drawers, she knew, had been filled with the little clothes they had chosen. The crib looked… beautiful.

She walked over to the crib and rested a hand on the edge, her fingers going to move the little crystal raindrops on the mobile that Storm had had when he was a child. They made little ringing noises against each other and Juvia felt tears well in her eyes.

She turned to Gray and his eyebrows shot up and he put his hands on her cheeks.

"Juvia? What's wrong?" he asked. "If you don't like any of it… I mean, we can get something new."

She shook her head with a little giggle. "No, Gray-sama. Juvia loves it all. Juvia feels bad that she let you put this all together alone…"

He laughed gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Don't cry about that. I wanted to do it. I just want you to like how it looks."

She nodded. "Juvia does."

"Well, there you go. Don't cry," he said, hugging her gently. He had learned how to cope with her tearful mood swings a little while ago.

She smiled, putting her arms around him too.

"Juvia loves it, Gray-sama. The baby is going to be so happy in here."

He smiled. "I hope so."

Juvia didn't catch the tone of nervousness in his voice.

* * *

><p><strong>Its almost time for new babies ^^ I'm so excited. I hope you guys are too. <strong>

**Review, favorite and follow.**

**And thank you all for reading.**

**-J**


	23. Chapter 22

"Okay, Juvia, I'll be home in no time, okay?"

Juvia giggled. "Juvia knows, Gray-sama. Gray-sama has only said so ten times."

He chuckled, rubbing the spot behind his neck. "I'm sorry. I just hate leaving you."

She smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Well, then hurry back, Gray-sama."

Juvia sat uneasily in bed, just a few days later. Something was going on. She could feel it. She sat up and flinched slightly. She knew this kind of pain.

She let out a slow, steadying breath and looked around. Gray still wasn't home. Storm was at the Hall. She slipped her legs off the side of the bed and braced herself on the wall.

She only had one idea.

Knocks came from the front door and Levy raised an eyebrow from where she sat reading. Gajeel stood up and walked to the door, slowly opening it.

"Juvia!" he said immediately, putting out a bracing arm to her. "What're you doing here? Gray said you weren't supposed to be out of bed."

"Juvia… thinks… she has a fair enough reason to be out of bed."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow as he looked her over. It dawned on him quickly and he turned to Levy.

"Levy, come meet me in the Hall. Juvia's having the baby."

* * *

><p><strong>oh yeah :o It's finally baby time, guys. I'm so excited to get here ^^<strong>

**Tune in for the next chapter to see what happens.**

**Will Gray be in time to not miss it all again? Will the baby be a boy or a girl? Will Gray pass out? **

**Anything couls happen!**

**Follow, favorite, and Review.**

**And thank you all for reading :3**

**-J**


	24. Chapter 23

Gray came home some hours later, walking slowly into the Hall. He decided to stop at the infirmary before going home, so that Mira could clean up his wounds a little before he went home. He didn't want Juvia to worry.

As soon as he stepped into the Hall, however, Gajeel grabbed his arm.

"Oi, Gray. Juvia's in the infirmary."

"What?" he asked, jogging past him and to the room where Mira stood. She opened the door to let him in. He stopped in the doorway and looked in.

Juvia lay in the white bed, her hands at her sides and her eyes closed. He felt his breaths come a little more rapidly, but they calmed as Juvia opened her eyes and looked his way with an uneasy smile.

"Gray-sama."

He let out a relieved little laugh, jogging to stand at the side of the bed. He wrapped her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "Juvia. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be gone so long."

She shook her head, then her eyes grew concerned. She looked at his face, running fingers gently on his cheeks and around his eye. "Gray-sama, are you alright?"

He raised an eyebrow, looking at her worrying eyes. "Me? Yeah. Of course, why would yo-"

He stopped when he remembered his wounds from the earlier fights. He let out an uneasy breath.

"Yeah. The job was just a little… intense," he responded.

"Does this happen at every one of those jobs?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Only a couple… like two or three."

"You've only been on three jobs, Gray-sama," she mumbled.

He laughed uneasily, putting a hand on her cheek. "Hey, let's not worry about this right now. We'll talk about it later, okay? Are _you_ okay?"

She smiled gently, nodding. "Fine."

"I'm sorry I took so long to get here… How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Just a couple of hours."

He pouted slightly. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, then tensed slightly.

He looked at her worriedly, looking at their hands as her fingers tensed around his. "You're okay," he whispered gently.

She calmed down after a bit and she let out an uneasy breath. "Ow."

He frowned, pressing a kiss to her fingers. _Man, it's gonna be a long night._

* * *

><p><strong><em>Its baby time, guys ^^<em>**

**_So excited :3 _**

**_Follow, favorite, and review. _**

**_And thank you all for reading. _**

**_-J_**


	25. Chapter 24

It was hours later that the real "fun" finally started.

Gray sat quietly at her side, his fingers getting repeatedly crushed. He listened to Juvia whimper occasionally and worried like she knew he would. He said as many comforting things as he could. He cleaned up his face in the moments that she slept. He ran his fingers over her cheek and through her hair. It was excruciating.

It felt like days before they heard the first little cry.

Gray looked over at the baby that Wendy held and he felt something in his chest grow warm.

"It's a girl," Wendy said with a bright smile, handing the baby to Mira. She wrapped her in a little pink blanket after cleaning her up a little and gently passed her to Juvia.

Juvia took the crying baby and held her close to her chest. The tiny girl didn't stop crying and her little fists curled onto the blanket that she was wrapped in. Juvia let out a little relieved sigh and pressed a kiss to the baby's little tufts of black hair.

Gray looked at the two of them and felt a warm tear roll down his cheek. He leaned close to them and pressed a kiss to both their foreheads, gently running his fingers on the baby's tiny fist.

It was a couple of minutes later that Juvia grew tense under his hand and Gray looked worriedly at Wendy. Mira gently took the baby from Juvia, and Wendy looked her over. Gray locked his fingers with the water mage's.

"What's going on?" he asked urgently.

"It looks like it's going to be twins," Wendy responded.

"What?"

"Twins, Gray."

Gray felt his heartbeat loud in his ears and shook his head. Twins. He'd never even had to deal with one newborn. How was he going to deal with two?

"It's okay, Gray-sama," Juvia whispered, giving a weary smile.

The second little cry came just a little bit later. This baby was quieter, but had the same black hair and chubby cheeks.

"Another girl," Wendy said, handing the other little one to Mira.

Mira grabbed one little girl and handed her to Juvia. She moved to hand the other little girl, the smaller and quieter little one , to Gray. He stood uneasily and looked at Mira.

"I've uh… I've never held a baby this small," he admitted.

She smiled gently, moving his arms carefully. "Well, you should probably get used to it about now. Don't worry."

Gray carefully took the little girl in his arms and made sure he held her safely. Slowly, he sat down next to the bed again. He held the little girl close to his chest and looked her over. She was tiny, her little tufts of black hair peaked out of the tiny pink hat Mira had put on her. She was fast asleep, her little breaths soft on his arm. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes and he smiled gently, looking up at Juvia with the other little girl.

"Juvia…" he murmured.

She smiled gently at him.

"They're so… perfect," he croaked out.

She laughed gently, looking down at her little girl. "Juvia knows."

He leaned a little closer to her, looking between the two little girls. They looked so alike. The only thing that was a little different was that the little girl he held was just a little bit smaller. He had no idea how he'd tell them apart. He didn't really think he cared about that right now though.

Juvia looked over at him and put a hand on his cheek. "What does Gray-sama think?" she asked gently.

He pressed a kiss to the little girls forehead. "Juvia… they're the most beautiful thing I've seen … They're so tiny." He looked up at her again and smiled. "Thank you."

"For what, Gray-sama?" she asked with a little laugh.

"For them." he responded, standing to press a kiss to Juvia's lips. "I love you."

Juvia smiled widely.

"They'll need names, Gray-sama," she said after a little bit of them fawning over their little girls.

He smiled. "Right. Well, we said Summer for a girl," he reminded her. "So, I'm guessing the oldest will be Summer."

She nodded. "Juvia thinks it suit her."

"Agreed. But what about this little girl?" he asked, looking at the sleeping infant in his arms.

Juvia looked at him and pouted slightly in thought. "Here, let me see her."

He raised an eyebrow, shifting uneasily. "Uh… how?"

Juvia giggled, sitting up a little bit. She put Summer on the empty spot of the sheets between her knees. She put out her arms to take the smaller baby, and Gray leaned to pick up Summer. She shifted slightly in his arms, but kept sleeping and he let out a relieved little sigh. He would learn to deal with crying babies a little later.

Juvia held the smaller twin closer to her chest and pressed a little kiss to her forehead. "Juvia likes Skye."

"Skye?" Gray asked curiously. "How come?"

"She looks like a Skye." Juvia responded with a little giggle. "And it matches with Summer."

He smiled. "Yeah. I like it."

"Juvia thinks these are going to be some happy, spoiled little girls."

* * *

><p><strong>Did you guys see that coming? ^^ I got excited writing it. I hope you liked it.<strong>

**Review, follow and favorite. **

**And thank you for reading. **

**-J**


	26. Chapter 25

It took a little time, but all the Fullbusters began to adjust to the twins. It was a lot of late nights and dozens of diapers. There were tons of little dresses and hours of learning to do hair.

And Gray loved every second of it.

He got used to be tired because he loved to get up at night and love his little girls until they were ready to go back to sleep. He didn't listen to Juvia when she said that she could get up at night too. He was fine doing it himself because he had a lot of time that he had never been able to give Storm.

The girls loved him almost instantly, even though they were two very different little people.

Summer, the oldest, was independent and goofy. She got attached very quickly to things and she loved to laugh. She was a little more rowdy than her sister, but no one really seemed to mind. All-in-all, she was the most like her mother.

Skye, however, was a quiet little girl. She didn't talk much, but she always looked very thoughtful. She was a sweet girl and she loved Gray to a point of clinging, but he didn't mind. She was more like her Dad.

Gray eventually had to go back on jobs, and the girls hated them. They always wanted to go along. They wanted to learn magic. It took forever for Gray to convince Juvia to help him start to teach them. Storm was eager to help his little sisters learn, so by the time they were three, the girls had learned their magic. Summer had learned the water magic and Skye had learned the ice magic.

It didn't take more than their first job for them to learn that they could perform a unison raid. Everyone was amazed when they saw it happen, but not exactly surprised. The girls were very close.

Gray never shied away from time with the girls. He went through all the things a normal dad would avoid. He dealt with all the makeovers, the tea parties, and the dancing. In fact, he didn't deal with them, he loved them. He knew that all this goofy stuff made the girls happy, and what was a few minutes of minor discomfort for a pair of cute girls that he loved more than anything? He let them put on the make-up. He let them sit him down with tiny coffee cups in the Hall. No one really said much but for the guys making the occasional joke, and even then, Gray was happy to do it all.

The girls started to get bigger very quickly. They were five before anyone noticed. They wanted to go explore more. Storm was happy to take them anywhere (as long as Nashi came along) and they began to go on jobs more often with their brother.

Storm, now about 18, had grown a lot like his father. He was dedicated but stubborn and, more like his mother, hopelessly in love. He and Nashi had been dating for almost three years and they were attached at the hip.

It was one afternoon that Storm and Nashi agreed to take the girls on a job that Storm grew even more like his father.

The four of them had stopped by a local food stand on the way back from a job. It was crowded with people who sat at tables and leaned against walls with friends or family. The girls were hungry, so Storm had walked to grab them some food while Nashi waited with them just a little distance away, leaning her back against the wall as the twins chased each other in circles in front of her.

The girls stopped their playing and walked uneasily to stand behind Nashi's legs when they saw the approaching group of tall guys with stupid haircuts and a lot of flashy clothes. The one that stood in front had a messy head of black hair and a stupid grin on his face, a toothpick dangling between his lips. He looked around him as he walked and slowly swaggered over to where Nashi stood, looking at her with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" he asked, his friends chuckling lightly behind him. "Do you have a name, Pinky?"

Nashi glared at him and tugged a lock of her hair from his fingers. "Not one you need to know, Skeeze."

He chuckled lightly, leaning his hands on the wall on either side of her head, his face moving closer to her. "Oh, yeah? There's nothing I could do to-" he leaned a bit closer "-get it out of you?"

Nashi was just about to respond when a strong hand grabbed at the back of the guy's shirt and tugged him back. He stumbled and turned to face the person that had grabbed him. Storm stood with a dark look on his face and a hard grip on the guy's shirt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

The guy cracked a grin. "I'm trying to make a pretty friend. You got a problem with that?"

Storm didn't miss a beat.

"Yeah. I sure do. That's my girlfriend you're talking about," he spat out, holding the guy with both hands on his collar.

The guy laughed. "You? A Fairy? She could do way better, Sparkles." He shot out a hand that Storm instantly caught in his, ice coating the guy's balled fist.

"Oh, an ice mage," the guy said sarcastically. "That's so cool! Too bad about this, though."

The ice over his hand began to melt and Storm took a second to process it before he began to outright laugh. "Fire mage or magic negation?"

The guy shrugged. "The second one."

Storm sighed and nodded. "Alright. Well, that makes my choice on how to beat your ass a lot easier to make."

And then the real fight started.

Fight was a strong word for it. The dictionary defines a fight as any contest or struggle, and any bystander could see that there was no contest here. Storm was winning hands down.

He instantly threw the guy up against the wall to set him off balance. It was easy then to toss him to the ground and lean over him. Storm's hands flew out so quick, the guy couldn't catch or dodge a single blow. Hit after hit bounced off of his face until Nashi came to her sense and saw what was really happening.

"Storm," she muttered, moving quickly over to him. "Storm! Storm, stop!"

He was in a deep rage. She could see that from his face. The guy didn't get mad often, but when he did, it was like a volcano. He couldn't hear her when he was this kind of mad.

"Storm!" she called again, putting a hand gently on his shoulder.

He stopped mid-swing and looked up at her. The black edge in his eyes dimmed slightly and went back to its usual ocean blue.

"Storm. Stop," she said gently, putting a hand on his cheek as she carefully helped him up. "Let's go. He's not worth it."

"But he-"

"I know what he said," she said gently, helping him up. "But that doesn't matter."

He looked at her almost blankly and nodded, standing up and cleaning his bloodied knuckles on his pants.

Nashi grabbed his hand and they each grabbed one of the girls' hands and began to walk back home.

The guy was left in a mess on the ground. He shook his head slowly and sat up, cleaning his nose in his sleeve. Blood streaked across his face and his sniffed to stop the rest of it from dripping from his nostrils. He stood and joined his friends who were completely silent. They weren't going to bring this up with their leader. He shrugged to fix his jacket and began walking stiffly back from the direction he'd come, keeping his cocky stride and a stiff face.

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><p><strong>That mattered, I promise. <strong>

**So, the girls got big all of a sudden. There's also a reason for that. Again, promise.**

**Just stick around. It'll all get explained.**

**Follow, Favorite, and Review.**

**And thank you all for reading.**

**-J**


	27. Chapter 26

Storm had woken up early in the morning. Very early. The sky outside was tinted a light pink as the sun rose in the distance, and in his bed, Storm sat up, holding the sleeve of his right arm above his elbow.

"What… are you…?" he mumbled at his arm.

The skin had marks. Black marks.

He ran his fingers over the little marks.

The black marks were all over the empty skin below his elbow. They were symmetrical on both sides, but he didn't see anything consistent about the marks. He had never seen this sort of thing. He didn't exactly know what to do.

So, he went to his go-to person.

"What the hell is that?" she gasped.

He looked down at his skin and shook his head. "No idea. It just sort of sprang up. I thought maybe you'd know."

Nashi shook her head in response, running her fingers on the marks on the skin. Storm noticed new ones had popped up to join the ones he already had. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like this, Storm. When did this pop up?"

"Last night. Probably while I was asleep…"

"Maybe you should ask your parents. They've seen weirder stuff," she proposed.

He nodded. "Yeah…. I guess."

"Mom, Dad."

"Yes?" Juvia asked. "What is it, Storm?"

"I've got an issue," he murmured, tensely tugging at his sleeve.

"What's going on?" Gray asked, looking up at the boy from where he sat.

Storm walked a bit closer to them, moving to sit across from them at the table. He rested his arms on the table, using one hand to tug up the sleeve of his other arm. Instantly, his parents sat up straighter and looked at his arm. Gray's eyebrows drew together.

"Do either of you know what this is about?" Storm finally asked when they didn't say a word.

Juvia just glanced over at Gray, and Gray responded simply, "I do."

"Well… what is it?"

"I have the same thing, but not all the time," Gray responded, raising his own sleeve. For a moment, a black design sprung onto the skin. It was all around the part of his arm under his elbow and looked like a black snake had coiled around it and Storm looked at his Dad with raised eyebrows. "It's the mark of a Demon Slayer."

"Demon… Slayer…"

"I got mine a long time ago," Gray responded, "I didn't know if you'd ever get it. I'm not even quite sure how it goes from person to person. Did you do anything that you don't usually do lately?"

Storm shook his head and then spoke after a moment. "Well… some guy was talking all kinds of junk to Nash the other day and he pushed it, so I beat his face in."

"You did?" Juvia asked worriedly. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Nah. I'm fine, Mom," Storm responded before turning back to his Dad. "Is that… weird?"

"Not weird, but maybe it has something to do with this. I don't know you to be the kind of guy to get into a lot of real fights," Gray responded. "Honestly, maybe it has something to do with the reason for the fight. You did it to protect someone you love."

Storm nodded, looking down at the marks that were spreading. The way they connected did look a lot like the way his father's mark had formed. He began to wonder if that is what he was going to become.

"A Demon Slayer…" he mumbled.

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><p><strong>So, I'm sure everybody is getting that there is some serious stuff in store. There is gonna be something really big. <strong>

**But this is the end of "Blue Sky", so you'll have to follow me to yet another story of this trilogy. I haven't quite decided the title, but some of it is written out. This may take me a little time, so please be patient. Don't forget to keep an eye out for the next one (which, in case you didn't know quite yet, will be about Gajeel and Levy's life). **

**For now, I'll be on a short hiatus for a trip to the "happiest place on earth", and I will be back before you know it with the first chapter of the next story ^^ **

**Follow, favorite, and Review.**

**And thank you all so much for reading "Blue Sky".**


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